Altadena residents trapped in the community center of their building (Photo – Colorado Boulevard Newspaper)
Residents of the Mirador Apartments in Altadena are once again facing serious safety and accessibility issues after the building’s second and final working elevator broke down earlier today.
By News Desk
The first elevator went out of service about five days ago, leaving the complex without any functional lifts. Many residents, including seniors, individuals with disabilities, and those using wheelchairs or canes, are now unable to reach their apartments.
Some tenants are currently trapped in the building’s community room, unable to climb stairs to return to their units. Despite this, building management reportedly advised residents to “use the stairs,” a directive that has been met with disbelief and anger.
To make matters worse, the on-site property manager was said to have gone to lunch during the height of the disruption, leaving residents with no immediate support or answers.
“We’ve been re-traumatized,” said Julie, a resident. “This reminds us of the night of January 7 when management abandoned us, and we’ve been abandoned again. Our on-site manager decided she can take up lunch instead of getting this resolved.”
This latest crisis follows a pattern of neglect at the Mirador Apartments. After the Eaton Fire, the building’s management faced widespread criticism for failing to properly remediate the facility before allowing residents to return. Many of the same vulnerable tenants, older adults, people with disabilities, and formerly unhoused individuals, were left to navigate unsafe conditions with little to no assistance from building officials or county emergency services.
The elevator failure not only raises questions about the building’s maintenance practices but also highlights ongoing challenges faced by marginalized populations living in under-resourced housing.
Residents are calling for immediate repairs, emergency access solutions, and a long-term plan to ensure that such breakdowns don’t leave them stranded again.
Update
Management has finally repaired the elevators, and residents have returned to their apartments late afternoon.
No, the manager is not our mother, but there was a definite breakdown in communication between the manager and the individuals who were not able to use the stairs to return to their apartments due to mobility issues.
First of all, I would like to say that the Mirador apartment are in independent living building. The housing is affordable for seniors. I don’t understand why people would continue to sign the lease if they were not independent yes we had one elevator that was broken, but they gave us an extra available appointment being that we did have one elevator that was working when that elevator went out our manager was already at lunch the minute I found out the elevator wasn’t broken. I contacted her through the emergency phone. She left her lunch and came immediately. The building is not an assisted living building. It is independent living. It is not anybody’s responsibility to get the tenants out of there if something would occur it’s an independent living ability. That means you have to give get out independently. The manager is not our mother. She’s not responsible for us.